With the huge resurgence of interest in Analog Synthesisers, and analog synth based plug-ins and software, there are several companies that have been leading the charge over the last couple of years. Arturia have long had an excellent reputation for superb software models of analog classics, with an ever expanding collection, which includes the likes of Mini Moogs, Jupiter 8’s and Arp 2600’s, so when Arturia decided to jump into the World of hardware synthesisers, it was always going to be worth a further look.

Recently, I became very aware that the quality of my Audio interfaces (yes, interfaces - I have more than one!) weren’t really delivering. With a number of outboard devices, namely synths and processors, in my studio, I was becoming more and more aware that the sound going in to my computer from an audio source, was not coming back sounding the same. Sometimes, this can be a good thing, as colour and distortion are added, but it’s nice to have the choice!

They say "Small ones are more Juicy". After 30 minutes alone with the new Roland System-1 synth, I pretty much reckon they are right. Beautifully illuminated, and showing off its new Alpha Dial style Mod wheel, she waits for eye contact, then whispers "touch me! do it now, take me and play all night long". As I had only 30 minutes I thought, OK! but it'll have to be a quickie. This is when I fell over my jaw as it headed south at great speed.Continue Reading

The world's first fully interactive digital drum magazine, iDrum, recently decided to review the Traps E500 kit, which we stock! So, follow the link to find out exactly what they had to say on the matter:Continue Reading

I happen to live in a block of flats populated by old people. Nothing wrong with that...they are all very nice people...but it does have one major downside...when the clock strikes half past 9, it's time to turn down the music for fear of an angry knock on the door...

I once DJ’d at a night in Banbury and before my set I got talking to one of the other DJ’s. Naturally, talk turned to music, and I asked him what sort of music he played…the answer I got was a single word, spoken in a deep gravelly voice….‘FILTH!’ I didn’t pry much more! But that guy would probably be a fan of the latest product we have available for pre-order…the M-Audio Venom.

Time to look at another NAMM 2011 product – the Arturia Spark! It’s not yet been released, and is instead currently available for pre-order, but there’s no harm in having a look into what this highly anticipated product is capable of doing!

ARTURIA SPARK – INTRODUCTION

The Arturia Spark is a powerful hardware/software hybrid drum machine, combining the power of analogue (modeling) synthesis, physical modeling and samples. It has been designed to streamline your beat production work, saving you time when searching for the perfect kit, and offer simple, yet essential controls for creating the ideal rhythm. So if you’re looking for a new and intuitive way to create your drum patterns, the Arturia Spark could quite possibly be your answer!

For me, and also judging by our recent poll, the Dave Smith Tempest was one of the most exciting products to come out of the recent NAMM 2011 show. It wasn’t exciting because it was big, did everything, or offered something completely revolutionary. It was simply exciting because it made fantastic sounds, and brought past analogue technology into one new and modern unit. If you want to get a flavour of the type of sounds that it is capable of producing, then I suggest flicking through the following video: